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Silas the sea turtle a tribute to boy's cancer struggle

Special to Savannah Morning News

Jessica Edenfield holds her 4-year-old son, Silas, last week at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island as they talk with center director Terry Norton, right. A loggerhead sea turtle at the center was named for the terminally ill boy.

Courtesy Georgia Sea Turtle Center

Silas the loggerhead sea turtle will be released April 27 during the Tybee Turtle Trot. He was found cold-stunned off Cape Cod Bay in January.

Courtesy Stacy Berry Photography

Silas Edenfield, 4, has terminal liver cancer. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island recently named a loggerhead after the turtle-loving boy.

Silas Edenfield, 4, visited the sea turtle named for him last week at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. His mom, Jessica, holds him as they speak with center director Terry Norton. Special to Savannah Morning News

Four-year-old Silas Edenfield, who has terminal liver cancer and a passion for sea turtles, knows the loggerhead named in his honor will soon be headed home.

Home is where Silas chose to be, too.

“He does not have any desire to be in the hospital,” said his mom, Jessica Edenfield, speaking by phone from Lyons on Wednesday.

“He’s just done. He’s very excited about going to heaven; he talks about it all the time these days.”

Last week, Silas visited the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, where the juvenile loggerhead sea turtle was named in his honor. The turtle will be released April 27 at the Tybee Turtle Trot.

How the boy and turtle connected is a testament to his love of sea turtles and his lasting impact on the people he meets.

Silas was just 3 when his parents noticed his belly seemed to be protruding.

Their doctor wasn’t concerned at first, but when symptoms worsened over the next few months, tests revealed liver cancer.

The little boy, the youngest of four sons, has since undergone 23 rounds of chemotherapy, three rounds of radiation and six surgeries.

During his initial treatments, he watched an episode of the kids’ show “Go, Diego! Go” about sea turtles and got hooked on the creatures.

“We must have watched that video 100 times,” Jessica said.

He’s since covered his bedroom in sea turtle stuffed animals. And the precocious little boy can recite a world of facts about them.

He knows the different species of sea turtles and talks about how they hatch and how beachgoers have to use a red light at night to protect them, his mom said.

Some of his nurses wear turtle-themed scrubs for him. The nonprofit Beads of Courage, which rewards kids with beads as a way to support them through difficult medical treatments, custom-made a turtle bead for Silas.

His aunt even got a turtle tattoo on her arm.

Much of his treatment was at the Children’s Hospital at Memorial University Medical Center, where Jessica figures she could now drive with her eyes shut.

While spending so much time in Savannah, the deeply religious family attended the nondenominational Calvary Chapel, where they met Savannah resident Emily Stump, 31.

Then in the middle of treatment for breast cancer herself, the graphic designer was inspired by the family’s grace and courage, and she was charmed by Silas.

“He hasn’t been complaining or moping around,” she said. “He hasn’t been sad. He’s just living his life, full of joy. He’s just always saying funny things.”

Knowing Silas’ love of turtles, she thought of him when she saw a flyer for the upcoming Tybee Turtle Trot and called the Sea Turtle Center to see if they had named the turtle that was going to be released.

They hadn’t.

Moved by the little boy’s story, rehab director Michelle Kaylor not only named the soon-to-be-free loggerhead Silas, but also gave the Edenfields a behind-the-scenes tour to meet his namesake.

The turtle came to the center in January for rehabilitation after he was discovered cold-stunned in Cape Cod Bay.

He’s been treated for ulcerations on his shell and outfitted with a satellite tracking device so his movements can be tracked online at www.seaturtle.org after he swims out to sea from the Tybee beach.

The Edenfields, who along with mom Jessica are dad Archie and big brothers Michael, 12, Gideon, 10, and Jason, 7, had to abandon plans to take Silas to Sea World in California.

He wanted instead to be home and have his grandparents visit. He started hospice care Monday.

Silas continues to touch others through posts his mother makes on the Facebook page “Praying for Silas.”

On Tuesday, Jessica posted that Silas wanted people to paint their nails gold for childhood cancer awareness — not for him, he said, but for other kids with cancer. Soon, dozens of posts appeared showing pictures of gold-painted nails around the country and expressing support.

The Edenfields spent this week keeping Silas comfortable and celebrating his upcoming June birthday early with confetti and cake.

Jessica Edenfield said they had been looking forward to the turtle release but are now unsure if they’ll make it.

“At this point it’s up in air,” she said. “Silas probably doesn’t have that much time left.”

Silas had a fever when he toured the center after hours last Friday, but rallied as his loggerhead swam by in an open tank just inches from where his mom held him.

“He really liked it,” his mom said. “He thought it was really cool.”

For more information about Silas and ways you can help, go to facebook.com/prayingforsilas and caringbridge.org/visit/silasedenfield.

TYBEE TURTLE TROT

Silas the loggerhead will be released into the surf in front of the Tybee Marine Science Center around 9 a.m. April 27 following the Tybee Turtle Trot. Sign-in for the Tybee Island Marine Science Center’s Sea Turtle Trot starts at 6:30 a.m. April 27 at the center at 1509 Strand Ave., next to the Tybee Pier. The run/walk begins at 7:30 a.m. Registration is $25 for non-members, $20 for Science Center members. For more information, go to tybeemarinescience.org/turtle-trot.

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